Oakland Veterinary Referral Services Blog
Ringing in the New Year with Our Top Pet Posts of 2016
Celebrating the New Year just wouldn’t be the same without a classic countdown. Some of our favorite New Year’s pastimes include watching countdown shows, listening to countdown broadcasts, and trolling our social media feeds for those year in review snippets. Oakland Veterinary Referral Services can’t help but join in the fun, too. In case you missed our best pet posts of 2016, here they are for your reading enjoyment.
New Puppy? No Problem!
Those first few weeks of having a new puppy at home can be a little chaotic. Never fear, though, the staff at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services are here to help. Read through our puppy owner guide to be sure that your first week at home with your new puppy is a breeze!
Come Prepared
Preparing yourself and your home for the new addition is half the battle. The more you plan, the better off you will be. Try to bring your new puppy home at a time when you are going to have some free energy to concentrate on his or her care. If you’re adding a new four-legged family member around busy times, such as the holiday season, try to do it when you’ll have time off at home.
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Lights, Camera, Action! The Best Holiday Films Featuring Animals
No one (except maybe Ebenezer Scrooge) could argue with the magical splendor, festive revelry, and spirited generosity that seem to be everywhere this time of year. While it’s simply wonderful to participate in the endless social events and family gatherings, sometimes you just need a night in. If curling up under a chenille throw with your best furry friend doesn’t sound reasonable enough, perhaps our list of holiday films featuring animals will entice you. Go on, get comfy!
Beyond the Standards
Holiday movies have that charming je ne sais quoi that other films just don’t have. Of course, old standards like Elf, Home Alone, and A Christmas Story have their place among all classics. However, our favorite holiday films featuring animals not only elevate the experience of pet ownership but also highlight the power of the human-animal bond. Continue…
More than a Cage: The Benefits of Crate Training
Some dog owners see crates as “cages”, confinement for their animals, to be used as punishment or only if absolutely necessary. Crates are not only necessary at times, but can also be indispensable, caring tools in the hands of responsible pet owners.
When used properly, crating can create more enjoyment of life for you and your dog by creating a safe, secure place for training, transportation, and even relaxation purposes.
At Oakland Veterinary Referral Services, we have discovered that crate-trained dogs experience less stress and tend to do better overall while they are with us, which is why we are touting the benefits of crate training.
Pawsitively Pawsome Gifts for Pet Owners
Pet owners everywhere have a lot in common – namely, how much we love and adore our furry friends. A great way to show the pet lovers in your life how much you care is with a pet-themed gift this holiday season, whether it’s for their pets or for themselves.
Get a head start on your holiday shopping or creating with our list of fun and practical gifts for pet owners.
Pretty Paws: Your Guide to Pet Nail Trimming
For many pet owners, trimming pet nails is a task that invokes fear, dread, avoidance, or all three. All it takes is one bad experience to make both pet and owner understandably apprehensive about this basic grooming necessity.
Depending on your pet’s lifestyle, his or her nails may need to be trimmed as often as every few weeks. Thankfully, with the help of proper tools, instruction, and practice, even a beginner can master the art of pet nail trimming.
Why Pet Nail Trimming is so Important
Neglecting your pet’s nails can cause a variety of problems for him or her. Besides making walking uncomfortable, long nails can cause problems with gait and balance, and may even contribute to knee and hip problems by forcing your pet to walk on the outside of his or her paw pads.
Your pet’s mobility and health depend on regular nail trims. This important grooming component should be included as part of his or her regular home care.
The Power of Prevention: Orthopedic Injuries in Pets
Human and animal athletes have more in common than you might think, including a wide variety of orthopedic injuries and problems. In both human and veterinary medicine, we are learning more and more about preventing this kind of trouble. We also have several new and effective options for treating orthopedic injuries in pets.
The team at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services is your expert resource for keeping your active pets in tip top shape.
Pounds of Prevention
Bones and joints are the framework that carry the body. It only makes sense that adding additional weight, and therefore burden, to that framework might predispose the body to orthopedic problems.
In fact, helping your pet to maintain an ideal weight is one of the most powerful things you can do to prevent an orthopedic injury. Weight management is crucial to your pet’s overall health, whether he or she is a couch potato or agility champion.
An Owner’s Guide to Lymphoma in Pets
Cancer comes in all shapes and forms in pets and people alike. While we use the term to describe any condition that results in an unchecked growth of cells within the body, different types of cancer can behave very differently.
Lymphoma in pets is a common diagnosis here in our oncology department, and a condition that we want all pet owners to know about.
Lymphoma Basics
One of the most common forms of cancer seen in both dogs and cats, lymphoma results from a cancerous mutation in one of the cells in the bloodstream, the lymphocyte. Lymphoma can begin in several areas of the body responsible for lymphocyte production, including the:
Options for Helping Pets with Hyperthyroidism
The endocrine system is a group of glandular organs that secrete hormones, and is responsible for regulating bodily functions such as metabolism, growth, tissue function, and reproduction. It is composed of important players, including the adrenal glands, the thyroid gland, and the ovaries or testes. The endocrine system is controlled by the pituitary gland and hypothalamus of the brain, and Its health is essential for the proper functioning of the body.
One of the most common dysfunctions of this system we see in pets involves the thyroid gland.
Learn about how this affects our animal patients and what we can do to treat hyperthyroidism in pets.
Staying Sharp: Cognitive Care for Senior Pets
Thanks to better care and nutrition, our pets are living longer than ever before. Senior pets can be a great addition to any household, but with age comes a few new challenges.
We are learning more about caring for older animals as the pet population ages. We understand that, much like in older people, pets can suffer from mental changes, in addition to physical ones, as they enter their geriatric years.
Cognitive care for senior pets is an important part of animal care that can greatly impact quality of life.
Cognitive Dysfunction
Senility is a real issue that we see in our animal friends. The veterinary term used to describe this is cognitive dysfunction, or CD. Many liken this condition to Alzheimer’s disease, which occurs in some people as they age. In fact, there are studies that show that brain changes in older pets exhibiting signs of cognitive dysfunction are quite similar to those seen in people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
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